Ecommerce Braintrust

DESCRIPTION Welcome to another edition of The Retail Round Up: your monthly recap of the biggest headlines and developments in the retail world. Joining us as always is Armin Alispahic, our go-to expert for operations and organic industry trends. We've also got Pat Petriello back in the mix. He'll be weighing in on all things media. One month. A lot happened. Let's get into it. Quote: "With the ability to hit 88 to 90% of authenticated connected TV households, Amazon ads is truly full funnel. We can engage with net new customers watching a Netflix show all the way to engagement loyalty as subscribe & savers." Pat Petriello KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Pat, and Armin discuss: The AI Corner: OpenAI is scaling back agentic checkout after finding users prefer researching products in chat rather than completing purchases there. The $50B Amazon–OpenAI partnership is primarily about infrastructure (AWS/compute), signaling long-term monetization rather than immediate retail integration. Criteo joining ChatGPT ads shows ads will appear inside product recommendation conversations, reaching users at high intent moments. Walmart embedding "Sparky" into ChatGPT reflects a strategy to control product discovery directly within AI experiences. New Dynamic Canvas Experience: Amazon's Dynamic Canvas transforms Seller Central into an AI-native workspace that not only visualizes data but actively analyzes it and suggests actions through an agent-like interface. Amazon Ranked as The Leader of Omnichannel Ads Platforms: Amazon being ranked #1 reinforces that its ads platform now spans the full funnel, using rich first-party data to drive both awareness and conversion. Netflix Taps Amazon's Shopping Data: Brands can now combine Netflix ad inventory with Amazon's audience data, enabling targeting based on real shopping behavior and excluding past purchasers for incrementality. Amazon DSP Upgrades: New DSP reporting features like time-to-conversion and audience insights bring AMC-level data into the native console, improving optimization and budget allocation decisions. Prime Day Key Dates: With earlier submission deadlines, new fee structures, and stricter pricing eligibility windows, brands must lock in pricing and inventory planning well ahead of the event.

DESCRIPTION Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Account Management. Today's topic is one brands and advertisers aren't watching closely yet, but we think they should be. Amazon quietly added a "Prompts" report to Sponsored Products, and if this is as big as we think it is, it could change the advertising game on Amazon in a pretty meaningful way. To help us unpack what's actually happening and what it means for brands, we're bringing in our Director of Retail Media, Ross Walker. Tune in to find out more! Quote: The top-of-search placement has long been the most coveted. Now there is new inventory in that same premium space, and advertisers will be competing for it. Ross Walker KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Julie, Jordan, and Ross discuss: Amazon is introducing ads into AI-driven prompts: Sponsored Products are now appearing within Rufus-generated, conversational search prompts, with a new report surfacing performance data like impressions, CTR, and sales. This is a new placement, not a new ad type: Prompts act as an additional layer of inventory within search, similar to how top-of-search or PDP placements evolved—likely to expand across other ad formats over time. Advertisers currently have limited control: Brands cannot choose which prompts they show up for or influence placement—Amazon is fully curating results based on relevance and AI-driven matching. Measurement is available, but monetization isn't yet: Advertisers can track performance using familiar metrics (CTR, CVR, ROAS), but there is currently no spend or bidding mechanism tied to this inventory. Prompts blend keyword search with conversational AI: Rather than replacing traditional search, Amazon is layering long-form, natural language queries into the existing keyword-driven ecosystem. Adoption is still early, limiting scale: Most users aren't fully engaging with prompt-based search yet, but increased UI visibility and AI adoption will likely accelerate usage. This could become a core part of Amazon's search strategy: As consumer behavior shifts toward AI-assisted discovery, prompt-based placements are likely to become a high-value, competitive area for ad spend.

🎙️News Review with Armin Alispahic and Pat Petriello DESCRIPTION Welcome to another edition of The Retail Round Up: your monthly recap of the biggest headlines and developments in the retail world. As always, we have Armin Alispahic with us to dig into operations and organic industry trends. We're also thrilled to welcome Pat Petriello back to the show. He'll be sharing his takes on all things media. There is a lot to dig into today! We've been on a hiatus for the past couple of months, and that means that we have a lot of interesting news to break down. Quote: "There is some risk for those brands that run very lean or typically provide inventory at the last minute for the traditional July Prime Day." Armin Alispahic KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Pat, and Armin discuss: Prime Day Rumors & Strategic Impacts: Why Amazon may move Prime Day up to late June, the challenges this presents for inventory and planning, and the likely reactions from competitors like Walmart and Target. Rufus & AI-Enabled Search: The growing influence of Amazon's Rufus (AI search assistant) on conversion rates, trust in Amazon's reported results, and the real-world impact, as confirmed by third-party data. Sponsored Product Prompts & Media Integration with Rufus: How sponsored prompts are now appearing within Rufus, what this means for targeting high-intent shoppers, and actionable tips for brands to optimize their approach. A+ Content Quality Analysis Tool (Beta): Amazon's new AI-powered assessment tool for A+ Content, its strengths, its sometimes blunt feedback, and ways brands can leverage its recommendations to enhance PDPs. Amazon's Podcast Audience Network in DSP: The integration of podcast advertising inventory into Amazon DSP, the significance for media buying efficiency, and the untapped potential for brands in podcast advertising. Storefront Sectional Performance Analytics: A major update allowing brands to measure KPIs at the individual section level within Storefronts, enabling far deeper optimization and A/B testing across traffic sources. FBM On-Time Delivery Rate Policy Changes: Amazon is now penalizing only problem SKUs for late FBM shipments, not entire seller accounts, plus eligibility requirements for this "nicer" enforcement.

🎙️Interview with Kiri Masters of The Retail Media Breakfast Club DESCRIPTION Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Account Management. As we return from our holiday break, we're taking the opportunity to step back and reflect on where the ecommerce industry has been—and where it's headed next. To guide that conversation, we tapped into the insights of a dozen former podcast guests, including industry analysts, technology providers, and brand leaders. We asked each of them two key questions: what had the biggest impact on the industry over the past year, and what they're most excited about in the year ahead. To help us unpack these perspectives, we're thrilled to welcome back someone deeply embedded in retail forecasting and strategy: Kiri Masters, former host of The Ecommerce Braintrust and current host of the Retail Media Breakfast Club. Quote: "Retail media will likely see some consolidation as expectations come back down to earth. We may see retailers come together and collaborate more, offering stronger audience insights to media buyers while dialing back the exuberance around retail media growth." Kiri Masters KEY TAKEAWAYS Key Survey Data 82% of respondents identified AI as a key theme shaping the industry 64% of respondents explicitly mentioned profitability, margin pressure, or growth discipline 55% of respondents discussed incrementality & measurement challenges 45% of respondents discussed channel diversification beyond Amazon In this episode, Julie, Jordan, and Kiri discuss: The Dominance of AI in E-Commerce: AI remains the headline story, with a huge spike in expert mentions. The team breaks down how AI is shaping advertisers' ability to personalize at scale, the shift from keyword to audience-based strategies, and why AI-powered personalization is becoming fundamental rather than a standout trend. Shopper Experiences and Search Evolution: Innovations like virtual try-ons (Zara app example), the rise of agentic commerce, and the blurred lines between upper and lower funnel marketing as AI tools start to both recommend and transact for shoppers. Amazon's Defensive Stance and Retail AI Partnerships: With new protocols like Google's Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), retailers like Walmart and Wayfair are collaborating with AI platforms—while Amazon remains a walled garden, raising questions about its evolving competitive positioning. Retail Media's Maturity and Profitability Pressures: How retailers' rapid build-up of media businesses has led to ambitious targets, scrutiny around true ad spend sources, and a likely shift toward more creative, collaborative brand partnerships. The market is moving away from "growth at all costs" toward more sustainable, margin-aware strategies. Breaking Silos in Measurement and Data: As brands push for unified data across channels, third-party aggregators and traditional data players are filling the gaps that retailers haven't solved with standardized metrics. Looking Ahead: The ongoing challenge for brands to keep up with fast-changing tech, automate where possible, but also stand out with original thinking as AI-generated content becomes ubiquitous. There's consensus that both AI innovation and industry corrections will shape retail into 2026.

Thank you for an incredible 2025! 🎉 We are grateful for such an engaged community of listeners. To celebrate, we're re-releasing 3 of our most popular episodes of the year. This week, we're bringing back "The Maturation of AMC for Sponsored Ads" with Ross Walker and Carlos Sastre. We hope you enjoy it!

Mike Black, Chief Growth Officer at Profitero, dives into the intricacies of e-commerce analytics. He explains the concept of the digital shelf and why effective search positioning is crucial, sharing insights on how moving up search results can dramatically boost sales. The impact of online reviews on conversion rates is explored, revealing how they influence both digital and in-store behaviors. Mike highlights the importance of maintaining high star ratings and how early review accumulation aids in establishing social proof. Prepare to rethink your e-commerce strategy!

Thank you for an incredible 2025! 🎉 We are grateful for such an engaged community of listeners. To celebrate, we're re-releasing 3 of our most popular episodes of the year. This week, we're bringing back "Vendor P&L Proliferation - Why It's Happening and Why It Matters" with Armin Alispahic. We hope you enjoy it!

Join Armin Alispahic, a marketplace operations expert, Ross Walker, a media specialist, and Pat Petriello, Director of Retail Marketplace Strategy, as they tackle the latest in retail. They discuss Amazon's new Seller Challenge initiative to improve seller compliance and eligibility for Account Health Assurance. Dive into the groundbreaking partnership with Nielsen, enhancing DSP measurement credibility. Plus, get the lowdown on Seller Fulfilled Prime updates and the innovative sponsored prompts, paving the way for AI monetization on Amazon.

🎙️Interview with Ross Walker & Danilo Alvares of Acadia DESCRIPTION Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Account Management. We're diving into a big topic this week: programmatic media buying through Amazon DSP, and the many different ways brands can leverage it. If you've been wondering how to get started with ADSP or how to access the right inventory to drive real results, this episode has you covered. To help us unpack it all, we've invited two of our in-house experts: Ross Walker, Director of Retail Media, and Danilo Alvares, Senior Retail Media Manager. Tune in to find out more! Quote: "The key, I would say, is balancing scale and transparency depending on what the brand is trying to learn and achieve." Danilo Alvares KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, Julie, Jordan, Ross, and Danilo discuss: Ways to Access Amazon DSP: The difference between the traditional Amazon Managed Service, agency/tech partner "seats," and brands owning and operating their DSP seat in-house. Evolution of DSP Access: How Amazon has opened up the DSP ecosystem, making it more user-friendly and accessible for agencies and self-service buyers. Buying Models - Crawl, Walk, Run: The progression from open auction (crawl) to private auctions (walk) to preferred deals and programmatic guarantees (run), describing the level of control, complexity, and inventory at each stage. Aligning Deal Types with Brand Goals: How brands should approach DSP deals based on their growth stage, goals (reach vs. efficiency), and market maturity. Custom Deals & Working with Amazon Supply Desk: Insights on negotiating custom inventory deals that align closely with brand audiences, often requiring a strong relationship with Amazon's supply desk team. Latest Updates – Project Deal Builder: The team discusses Amazon's new (beta) Project Deal Builder, which aims to democratize custom deal-making for DSP buyers further. Transparency and Measurement: Examination of how transparency, reporting, and measurement vary across different buying models—and how tools like AMC (Amazon Marketing Cloud) help unify data analysis. Favorite Types of Buys: Both Danilo Alvares and Ross Walker share their excitement around mixing precise audience targeting with creative formats and leveraging new inventory opportunities like streaming TV.

🎙️Black Friday & Cyber Monday Data Breakdown With the Acadia Team DESCRIPTION Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Account Management. We're coming to you late in the day on December 3rd, less than 48 hours after the whirlwind of Cyber Monday has wrapped up. The dust is barely settling, and we're diving straight into what really went down. To help us make sense of it all, we've gathered a powerhouse panel. From the operations and organic side of the action, we have Gavin Farnan and Celina Arbelaez from our Account Management team, two people who've been in the trenches all weekend. And bringing the media perspective, we're joined by Hyunsoo Park and Ross Walker, ready to unpack the wins, surprises, and standout trends of the season. Let's dive in. Quote: Over the BFCM weekend, we saw a 1.5x lift in sales, and then over the 12 days, a 1.6x multiple compared to last year's BFCM. Gavin Farnan KEY TAKEAWAYS In this episode, the team discusses: Personal Recaps: The group shares what they bought during the sales Shift in Shopping Patterns: The panel discusses how consumers are increasingly buying earlier in these tentpole events, with a higher share of sales happening in the initial days of Turkey 12, and why waiting for bigger deals later doesn't always pay off. Data & Sales Insights: Client data showing a 50–60% year-over-year lift in sales, and the group explores trends in daily sales spikes and the spreading out of purchases across event days. Cross-Channel Promotions: The challenges and strategies around promo consistency across Amazon, D2C, and other retailers like Target and Ulta, and the importance of deal badging on Amazon for visibility. Event Differences & Glitches: Insights into new Amazon features like improved deal badging, the impact of glitches (like PPD discount badge issues), and increases in category discount depth. AI & Discovery: The growing importance of AI-driven discovery with Amazon's Rufus and how brands must optimize content to be surfaced by these tools, despite the limited data currently available from Amazon. New Ad Tech & Sponsored Content: The rollout and mixed success of product video ads, sponsored brand video priorities, and ongoing Amazon ad platform updates leading right up to the event. Q4 Holiday Advice: Practical tips for brands to close out the quarter strong, like maintaining bestseller rank, doubling down on winning products, leveraging creator campaigns and off-Amazon traffic, and keeping content fresh and responsive to new search behaviors. Team Takeaways: Encouragement to focus budget and effort on high-performing keywords and channels, and reminders not to slack off as shipping cutoffs approach.